CVE-2022-41793: Open Babel out-of-bounds write in CSR format parser

CVE-2022-41793 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.8 · Published 2026-07-01

Open Babel, a widely used library for converting chemistry and molecular data files, contains a memory safety flaw when processing CSR format files. An attacker could provide a specially crafted file that, when opened by a user or processed by a service using this library, could lead to a program crash or unauthorized code execution. This affects various software tools and web services that rely on Open Babel for chemical data visualization and conversion.

Technologies: openbabel (PyPI). Vendors: PyPI.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2022-41793 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2022-41793 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2022-41793?
High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 1 July 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
openbabel (PyPI) < 3.2.0, ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=3.2.0.
Is there a fix for CVE-2022-41793?
Yes. openbabel (PyPI): upgrade to 3.2.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2022-41793 attacked?
It is attacked with local access, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2022-41793?
Check whether you run openbabel (PyPI) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

  • openbabel (PyPI): upgrade to 3.2.0 or later
    pip install "openbabel>=3.2.0"

Technical details

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in Open Babel's CSR format parser within the `PadString` helper function. The root cause is a classic buffer overflow (CWE-120) where a title field longer than the fixed-size destination buffer is copied without adequate bounds checking. While the vulnerability is triggered locally by opening a malicious file, the impact is significant as Open Babel is often integrated into web-based molecular viewers and conversion services. Exploitation can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. The issue is fixed in version 3.2.0 by implementing proper buffer size checks and using safe memory copy operations.

Affected products

  • Open Babel Open Babel <= 3.1.1

Identifiers

  • CVE-2022-41793
  • GHSA-p594-7xw4-g76p
  • PYSEC-2026-2788

Timeline

  • 2023-07-21: disclosed: Initial disclosure by Cisco Talos
  • 2026-05-26: patched: Version 3.2.0 released with fix
  • 2026-07-01: advisory: GitHub Advisory published

References

This page as Markdown. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.